


Slow Dance

by Maneuver7



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Fluff, Kissing, Romance, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 05:59:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15790395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maneuver7/pseuds/Maneuver7
Summary: M'gann asks Raquel to dance.





	Slow Dance

M’gann hovers at the snack bar, ostensibly taking inventory of the food she’s made. They’re already out of devilled eggs, she notes with chagrin, but the thought dissipates in a second. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Raquel sitting on one of the barstools, back lit by the pink and blue lights emanating from the party in the living room. 

The young writer has her head resting in one hand with a pen in the other. Raquel taps the pen back and forth against a notepad in front of her. After a moment, she pushes the notes away. M’gann goes back to counting how many cookies are left. It’s harder to count now that she keeps drifting, as if magnetically drawn, to Raquel’s mind. Even from a respectful distance, she can sense the buzzing thoughts.

Dimly, Raquel is aware that the music changes from a five-years-old top 40s pop song to something slow and romantic and maybe even a little melancholic. She can’t remember if she’s ever heard the song before, but it sounds familiar. Maybe she’s thinking of a different song, who can say. She’s so used to lullabies and Disney songs at this point that she probably wouldn’t recognize it either way.

Her eyes graze over her notes for a new article. As much as she wants to—needs to—write this vertical, she’s just…stuck. Writer’s block is the worst. She’s considering leaving the party early and going home to work on it when she feels someone hovering at her shoulder. Literally, Raquel realizes, as she turns to see M’gann a couple feet behind her, a shy look on her face.

M’gann looks strangely mystical in this light, her usually green skin and red hair reflecting all the pinks and blues and purples in the overhead lights. She’s wearing a pretty yellow dress that adds to her soft, mish-mashed painter’s palette appearance. Somehow, she makes it work. Raquel gives her a faint smile. In the background, the slow song continues, not even at the chorus yet.

“You don’t look like you’re having fun.” The Martian says with a shy smile, she’s holding her hands in front of her, fingers twisting around each other cutely.

“I am.” Raquel says. Not a lie, she tells herself. She had been having fun until she remembered her looming deadline. “You always throw the best parties.” She adds because at least that is absolutely true.

M’gann gives her a small, polite smile and shrugs like she knows Raquel isn’t telling her everything and is okay with it. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to interrupt; I was just curious what you are writing?” She gestures a blue-green hand at the abandoned notebook.

Raquel pouts at the thing in frustration, “Nothing.” She sees M’gann put on a pout of her own, “No, really, nothing. You know I have that column for the Daily Planet, but I can’t think of anything to write.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” For the most part, M’gann limits her creative efforts to the kitchen or fashion choices, but she can still sympathize with the difficulties of writer’s block.

Raquel sighs, pressing her hand into her temple, “It’s ok. I’ll think of something.”  
“I know you will. You’re a fantastic writer. I love your column.” If it weren’t for the pink lighting casting a shadow of doubt, Raquel could swear that’s a blush crawling across M’gann’s cheeks. 

“I- I mean, I know I’m not a single mom,” M’gann stutters, “But from what I saw with Marie, it’s totally relatable, and you just write it so well that if I ever do become a mom I-”

With an amused smile, Raquel puts her hand up to save M’gann from further babbling, “Thank you.”

M’gann quiets and her shoulders relax in relief. The song is swelling now, behind them some of their friends sway to the ambling melody. Roy and Kaldur hold each other, Kaldur resting his head on Roy’s shoulder. Mal and Karen similarly dance in each other’s arms, barely moving their feet, as they stare deep into each other’s eyes with so much love and adoration that watching feels like an intrusion. They make mere eye contact look like an act of deep intimacy. 

Raquel glances away while M’gann looks back to see what gave the superhero that reaction in the first place. The pink, whether a blush or the lighting, Raquel still can’t say with absolute certainty, seems to glow brighter. The human woman is relieved at the surprised look on the Martian’s face, like it’s proof Raquel herself isn’t just being prudish or something. When M’gann looks away, she brings a hand up to worry at a lock of her short hair. It could be any length hair, but Raquel does think the pixie cut looks cute on her.

The song ends and the pattern the lights make against the walls and floor switches to something more repetitive and rhythmic. Instead of going back to the usual billboard hits, the playlist’s next song starts with a series of long, methodical notes. The instrumental part of the song continues for a while and their friends on the makeshift dance floor continue to embrace.

Raquel watches as M’gann stops fussing with her hair while she observes the dancers before turning her head back to look at her. The pink and blue dots of light reflect in her eyes. She shifts, holding her hands in front of her again, but this time she meets Raquel’s gaze.

“Do you… Do you want to dance?”

The Martian holds out one of her green hands, lets it hover in the air between them. Raquel’s eyes flicker between the hand and M’gann’s big, brown eyes, suddenly feeling lightheaded. She takes long enough to process the question that M’gann gradually drops her arm, and a frown fights at the corner of her lips, but the Martian valiantly fights to keep a smooth composure. The look of disappointment has Raquel reacting without much thought, so when she sees her own hand shoot out to clasp M’gann’s, even Raquel is surprised.

For a second, they just stare at each other, holding one another’s hand, before M’gann’s fingers tighten around Raquel, and the freckled woman pulls her steadily onto the dancefloor. The lyrics haven’t even begun in this song yet, but the song’s melody is dreamlike in a soft way. 

The two women stand, face to face, M’gann raising her arm so that Raquel’s hand rests lightly in her palm. The green girl slips her free hand loosely around Raquel’s waist. Meanwhile, Raquel, a little stiff and awkward, clamps her remaining hand onto M’gann’s shoulder. The Martian woman gives her a warm little smile, and they both begin swaying to the music. Back and forth, side to side, feet barely making steps one way or another, but their hips swaying all the same.

M’gann cheeks are a muddle of pink and green and blue, and though Raquel’s own dark skin hides her blush, the pink lights caressing her face more than make up for it. While she’s hypnotized by the Martian’s freckles like stars speckling the night sky, M’gann stares into Raquel’s wide, brown eyes. Dark like beautiful polished glass, those eyes reflect the world more condensed and more pure and more deep than it is. Raquel’s piercings glitter, and her curls bounce lightly.

The music melds with the lights and seemingly fade into the background as Raquel smooths her hands down M’gann’s sides to hold her hips. They spin in slow circles around the dance floor, lost in the other’s gaze, enchanted by the other’s smile. Neither can tell if they’re dizzy from the spinning or infatuation, neither know when their feet leave the ground. Even after they've noticed, they stay slow dancing in midair until the song comes to a close and slowly they drift back to the floor.

M’gann should check on the food in the oven. Raquel should get to work on her article. But in the silent pause between songs, and the space between lights, they close their eyes. And gentle and soft as the song they’d danced to, bright and refreshing as the patterns of colorful light painting the walls, blue and pink and purple and green and brown like a nebula forming from space dust. They kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty wlw are the only members of the team who can fly and also the most motherly of the group? Yes obviously I ship it. Come talk to me about it on tumblr: maneuver-7.tumblr.com


End file.
